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(No Model.)

G. J. UAPEWBLL. BARREL OPBNER.

^ Patented June Z, 1896..

. 1/a7 Zo/4,

i liNir-nn- STATES ATENT Granica,

J'rEORGE J. CAPEVELL, OF IIARTFORD, OONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

B/iRREL-oPl-:NER.`

SPECIFIGTION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,537, dated June 2, 1896.

Application filedM-l'cll 2, 1894, Serial No. 502,156. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hart-` ford, in the county of I'Iartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel-0peners, of which Jthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to the class of tools more particularly adapted and intended for Io opening barrels, tubs, kegs, and the like hooped packages, althoug'h it can be used for opening' other receptacles, the object being to provide a simple, cheap, and strong tool of this class which can be readily used with great power for drawing nails and other fastenings from the hoops, staves,land. heads without damag'e, whereby the barrels or other packages are easily opened and left in good condition for further use. a p

zo Referring to the accompanying' drawing's, which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the tool. Fig. 2 is a detail View of a portion of the tool, showing the position occupied when it has a nail z 5 started from a barrel-hoop so that its head is no longer buried in the wood. Fig. 3 is a similarvview showing' the position with the nail still farther drawn. Fig. 4 is a top view of the nail-drawing' head. Fig. 5 is a central section of the latter. Fig. 0 is a top View of a half-section of a drawing-head, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the head.

In the views, 1 indicates the tubular body or shank of the tool, which is preferaloly cast to shape of iron with the .central bore that loosely holds a rammer-bar 2, that is used to drive the jaws of the drawing-head beneath the head of the nail to be extracted. This rammer preferably has a pin 3 projecting from one side into a slot 4:, that is formed along the inner wall of the opening in the shank of the tool, and this pin is arranged to 'come in contact with the inward-projecting' shoulder 5 on the latch 6, so that when the parts are in their normal position the bar will not be pulled out and entirely removed from the opening when it is being reciprocated in use to drive the jaws under the nail-head. This latch, however, is so pivoted that when the handle, which is usually formed with an opening` that can be utilized for hanging the mences tool on a nail, is forced against its spring' the shoulder swings out of the slot and permits the removal of the rammer-bar.

In a socket formed in the end of the shank of the tool is held the neck 7 of the drawing or extracting` head 8. Of course this head may be formed integral with the shank of the tool; but it is preferred that it be detachablc, as shown, either in one piece or in two parts divided, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig'. 4 and by Fig'. 6, and held in the socket bya setscrew 9, for this allows the ready insertion of a new head when one becoines broken or worn in use, and it also permits the use of a suitable fine high-grade steel for the drawing-head, with an ordinary cheap metal for the shank and body of the tool, and being obliged to use the high-grade material for only such a small part reduces the cost of the tool to a minimum. This draWing-head, when viewed from the top and sides, shows as curved to a point at the front end, and when forged, dropped, or otherwise formed to shape it is' provided with a curved mortise 10, which leavcs lips 11 on the 7 5 sides. These lips are substantially parallel With each other, and the bottom of this mortise which thus separates the lips is preferably rounded, while the enter lower corners of the lips are also preferably rounded, so the head in erosssection is g'ouge-shaped, as shown in Fig. 7, and the interior may loe pro-` vided With a curved groove 12, which will extend nearly to the front end or g'ouge-point, Where the bottom of the mortised part be- 8 5 tween the lips is cut away, forming a month 13, that bifurcates the end of the head, for1ning two short jaws 14, which month, however, does not usually extend inward from the end to the jaw-fulcrum or to where the taper or go curve for 'the end of the bottom edge com- This construction forms ahead with a pair of substantially parallel lips that are completely separated at their points and are joined along their fulcrum edge by a web that gradually increases in thickness, which edgewise lips provide wide stiff flanges that strongly hold the pulling-jaws and strengthen them where they are made thin and gougeshaped, so as to pass under the head of a nail. ioo

On the shank of the tool near the drawinghead is a projection, boss, or stud 15, that performs the function of a fulcrum for use when drawing a nail, and this projection can be so formed that it may be utilized for driving nails into a barrel or other structure wh en so desired.

To open a barrel,` tub, keg, or the like package or to remove a hoop either 011 the eX- terior or interior of the staves, the pointed end of this tool is placed up to the head of the nail to be drawn obliqnely to the surface in which the nail is driven and by a few blows of the rammer forced under the head of the nail, the gouge-shaped end of the drawinghead chiseling diagonally across the grain of the hard-Wood hoop or stave beneath the nailhead,` the shank of the nail passing into the month 13 between' the lips, so that the edges of the head of the nail lie in the mortise of the tool-head above the jaws 14. Then as the tool is rocked on the round pe'riphe'ry of the barrel the head rolls on the point where the taper or eu'rve of the end begins, and, as the fulcrum is so very close to the head of the nail it is drawing, a powerful leverage results for starting' the nail, from the hard Wood of the barrel-stave, which nail is usually clen'ched over on the side opposite from the head. After the nail has been started on this very p'owerful fulcrum the tool is in the positionshownin Fig. 2. Then thep'roje'ction or hamnier-head comes in contact with the exterior of :the barrel and forms a furtherfulcrum, on which the tool is rocked to complete the drawing of the nail7 as shown in Fig. 3.

1This tool is very strong, as the nearly-parallel lips of the head are quite wide, and yet on account of their shape the jaws can be readily driven obliquelyinto the Wood by the ranimer under the head of the nail to be drawn', the gouge shape fa'cilitating the chiselin g of the end obliq'uely into the w'ood, while it would be impossible to drive the jaws of an ordinary puller straight into the wood about the head of, a nailon account of the hardness of the wo'od usually used for barrel staves i and hoops, and also on account of the elasticity or spring of a barrel hoop or stave.

i The tool can be Very cheaply made, as the shank and rammer can be of ordinary cast metal, while the head, which can be removed and a new one substituted, if desired, can be made of the finest and best metal for the purpose. As the short fulcrum formed by the shape of the drawing-head is close to the end 'of the m'outh that bifurcates the points of the 'side and a drawing-head projecting from one end, said drawing-head having a pair of wide lips that stand substantially parallel with each other, the contour of which curves to a point at the outer end from both topand bottom and 'also from each side, the wide parallel lips being joined together along a portion of their bottom or fulcrum edge beginning a short distance from the outer end by a web that gradually increases in thi'ckn'ess, substantially as specified.

2. A barrel-Opener consisting of a shank bearing a movable rammer with an integral fulcrum and driving-head proj ecting from one side and a drawing-head projecting from one end said drawing-head having a pair of lips that curve to a point from four sides and are widest from top to bottom opposite the short fulcru'm, the wide parallel lips being joined together along a portion of the bottom or short-fulcrum edge beginning a, little distance from the outer end by a web that gradually inci'eases in thicknes's, substan tiall y as specifie'd.

A barrel-Opener consisting of a shank bearing a movable rammer with an integral fiilcrumand driving-head projecting from one side and a drawing-head projecting from one end said drawing-head having a pair of lips that curve to a point from four sides and also have their lower outer corners adjacent to where the lips are joined rounded off making the bottom edge gouge-shaped, the wide parallel lips being` joined together along a portion of the bottom or short-fulcrum edge beginning a little distance from the outer end by a web that gradually increases in thickness, substantially as specified.

GEORGE J. OAPEWELL. lVitne'sses HARRY R. WILLIAMS, O. E. BUCKLAND.

IOO 

